We will be out for a long weekend, leave early am on Thursday and return pm on Sunday. I would like her to have a very enjoyable time, so help me plan a menu that will be something that she will remember as a positive.

I have a few ideas, but nothing is set in stone and if someone has a great idea, I'd love to give it a try.

We are not picky eaters, and spicy food is certainly in. I'd like to keep the preparation time reasonable, as I'd rather not be cooking all day!!

I will give you the regular recipe - made with cut up boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs, and than anything in brackets is how you can modify this for drying. When I make up a regular batch for dinner, I make up the batch for drying at the same time. It is very quick to do.

BTW - freezes well. It won a million dollars in a Pillsbury bake off. When I did a search for it, I found that people had gone on and modified it further by adding frozen cut spinach.

Add 2 cloves garlic to skillet. Cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Add 2lb of chicken. Cook about 5 min until brown. (If using ground, make sure it is all cooked before going on)

Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir together 1 (1.5) cups of salsa, 1/4 cup of water, 1tbsp of honey, 3/4 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Add to skillet, stirring. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook about 20 min, or until chicken juices run clear when thickest part is skewered.

Dries well, but you must be very careful to check the chicken regularly or it will either be under dried or tough as leather. My husband keeps meaning to try this with canned or ground chicken or turkey.

_________________"I've never met a river I didn't like. The experience is what we remember and the challenges make for great memories". Me

Last edited by cheryl on July 24th, 2008, 9:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Thinking of the end of the trip, when it matters most and toughest to impress, cause you don't want the last impression to be cup o soup and pringles--

I think the Tuna steak in foil are the fanciest thing going at the end of a trip. They are spicy so plain rice or noodles help, and cut up whatever is left over in way of onions, peppers zuchinni etc.

Or just noodles boiled, then fried at the end with olive oil mixed with sundried tomatos and garlic. Light and easy. a bit of bannock baked with dried cranberries...she'll either want to return or atleast think it wasn't all bad.

I agree with the Tuna Steaks, especially the lemon spicy thai. Simple, easy, quick and impressive!

Yes, we always prepare and then dry. If you don't have a dehydrator, just make it up, line a cookie sheet with cooking parchment (or thick plastic -like the type you would staple over insulation), spread the mixture thin (feel free to use 2 cookie sheets), and then put it in the oven at hmmmm 120 F. Put a knife in the door so that the oven stays open a bit so the humidity can escape.

Not as impressive, but filling and yummy, is mock shepard's pie. Buy a liptons intant potatoes and gravy, layer it over TVP soaked in beef boullion, and onion soup mix (or can dry ground beef cooked in the same), and top with shredded cheddar.

Lots of advice in the in the forums under dehydrating. We have a harvest food works- my camera is in it right now drying out

breakfast -granola, porridge, Alpen with dried fruit, english muffins, jam; pancakes (can cook them at home, leave them out over night to dry out a bit, put them in a zip lock, freeze them until you are ready to go, and you can keep them for days. You just drop them in the fry pan to reheat them)

_________________"I've never met a river I didn't like. The experience is what we remember and the challenges make for great memories". Me

I was really looking for the WOW kinda meal, particularly in the side dish catagory to go with the fish. If we are lucky enough we will have fish two of the three nights and I would like to go to Oyster Lake and catch that lake trout.

I know you know a few good ones too, but for ease, if you like pasta, it's hard to beat totellini. It doesn't crush like spaghetti, preps fast and takes a variety of sauces without complaint. All of the ingredients travel well and compactly. I distinctly remember hearing the bman say that one we whipped up with Alfredo sauce was "the best meal he'd ever eaten!"; and his beautiful wife is Italian. (those shooters of Yukon Jack during preparation might have had some effect too though.)

And this one works well for breakfast or supper,
cranberry french toast, made with an artisan loaf. It's sweet enough that you don't need syrup. Soak it in your basic egg drench but add some orange juice to the mix too.

There's so many more. I'll look.

But you know, she'll enjoy whatever you do. Keep her warm and dry, and you'll be fine. A hero maybe

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